New Belper ‘Cycle Quality’ Tube Map Highlights Need For Change

An updated version of the Belper Cycle Quality tube map has been produced incorporating feedback and showing how cycle provision will be greatly improved by building the Derwent Valley Cycleway.

The Derwent Valley Cycleway project have created a “tube map” showing the quality of routes for cycling between places in the Belper area. Input from existing cyclists and would be cyclists in the Belper area has been collected and used to get a consensus for ratings of the routes. Currently none of the routes are deemed to be of acceptable standard.

In particular, currently, north to south cycle journeys must use the A6, a very unsuitable route due to the narrowness of the road, the volume of traffic, and the number of heavy lorries and buses.

Ian Dent, a trustee for the Derwent Valley Trust and developer of the map, said:

“The results for the A6 show the urgent need for an alternative, good quality route for cyclists separated from the motor traffic. The development of the Derwent Valley Cycleway along the west bank of the River Derwent would provide an excellent, safe route for all types of cyclists.”

The Derwent Valley Cycleway is a proposed project to create an off road cycleway between Derby and Matlock following the course of the River Derwent as closely as possible. The whole of the cycleway falls within the Derwent Valley World Heritage Site and links a number of significant population centres including Derby, Duffield, Belper, Cromford, Matlock Bath and Matlock.

Feedback on the initial version of the map resulted in some route ratings changing.

The key has been modified to provide some indication of what level of competence and experience is expected for cyclists on each of the routes. Further feedback is welcomed. Furthermore Matlock and Derby have been added to the map to show the, currently poor, routes linking to Belper.

High quality images of the tube map can be downloaded from here.